The love handle region is one of the most popular areas of the body for fat to accumulate. This fat is not gender specific and its mere appearance can initiate thoughts of liposuction in many people's minds. But that might be taking it to the extreme when there is no need to. The fat that lies dormant in the love handle area can be extinguished just like fat in any other part of the body. It just takes some specific steps to be followed out that involve key exercises and dietary discipline.
Step 1
Do cardio focused workouts. In order to lose the love handles, you need to do some cardio. Being that there is no such thing as spot reduction, the worst that can happen is you lose the love handles and also fat on the rest of your body. Do cardio for 45 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 days a week. Some examples of exercises you can do are running, biking, swimming, rowing, stair stepping and jumping rope.
Step 2
Build some muscle. Muscle is metabolically active tissue that can increase your daily caloric expenditure and contribute to weight loss in the love handle area. Do compound exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, military presses, push-ups, pull-ups, squats and lunges. These exercises involve more than one muscle group and more than one joint range of motion. This leads to more muscle fiber recruitment and more calories being burned while performing them (see References for compound exercises).
Step 3
Do some bicycle crunches. Lie on your back with your hands on the side of your head. Lift your legs up so your shins are parallel to the floor and lift your shoulders up slightly. Alternate reaching your opposite elbow to your opposite knee while extending your legs out and back in. Bring your knees in as close to your elbows as possible and extend them out so they are straight. Make sure to keep them off the floor the whole time (see References for bicycle crunches).
Step 4
Do some rotations. Sit on a Swiss ball with a weighted medicine ball in your hands. Extend your arms straight out in front of you at about chest height. Move your upper body back and forth from the right to the left by rotating your hips. Keep your head in line with the ball the whole time and keep your back straight.
Step 5
Perform side crunches with the ball. Come on to your side on top of the Swiss ball with your feet braced against a wall for stability. Place your hands on the side of your head and have the ball located right about at your hips. Lower your body down laterally, then crunch back up by contracting your oblique muscles.
Step 6
Clean up your diet. Eliminate all the foods that are high in calories and lack any quality nutrients. This goes for deep fried foods, processed foods and refined foods. Eat nutrient dense foods instead like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and fish. Also eliminate high calorie beverages like soda, fruit juices, sweetened teas and alcohol. Drink water instead as it is calorie free and it also helps keep you hydrated.
Things You'll Need
- Swiss ball
- Medicine ball
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